By noon, close to a foot of new powder was on the ground, and it was and swirling in the wind as Giff Kriebel manned the Nordic desk in Town Square.

"I guess by the end of this, we will have close to 50 kilometers open," he said with a sweet smile.

Before the storm, only about 20 kilometers of Nordic trails were open, mostly on the north end of the 70-kilometer trail system, an area in the White Mountain National Forest known as the Tripoli Road or the Livermore area.

The parking lot at Livermore had not been plowed, but there were more than 20 cars that had made it into the lot. Small groups of snowshoers and cross-country skiers were coming and going along the trails, which were groomed the night before.

Up at the alpine ski area, snowboarders were raving about the powder snow but visibility was tough, they said.

Many who were visiting the valley were staying inside during the storm or taking in lunch at the cafes and looking forward to fresh snow on Friday morning.

In Lincoln, Karl Stone, spokesman for Ski NH, the statewide organization that promotes skiing, sent an email out at midday with an update on the Nor'easter.

"We've got up to a foot at the ski areas so far with it still going, hopefully those numbers continue to grow.

"Many areas are/were fighting with the wind today from the storm, the wind seems to be dying down some now. It looks like several have started to now re-open some lifts that were on delay. We also have cross country areas opening all kinds of terrain, which has them ecstatic.

Stone said it is "perfect holiday timing, especially as the roads should be clear for travel in the morning. The wind and bad roads also probably kept traffic on the slopes to a minimum today, making tomorrow even better. It's shaping up to be a real good one," he wrote.

He said Loon is reporting at midday about a foot, and Bretton Woods, 10 inches; Gunstock, 9 inches; Cannon, 7; and in Keene, Granite Gorge was reporting 7 inches as well, but the snow was not stopping.

"Keep an eye on our snow reports for full updates," he said, referring to www.skinh.com.

Over in the Mount Washington Valley, Marti Mayne, spokesman for the Chamber of Commerce, said they were all thankful for the major snow event Thursday, and know that they would be updating the snow totals by the end of the day.

Shawnee Peak in Maine received 3 inches of snow early and was offering skiing and riding on 100 acres, with 22 trails accessed by four lifts.

She added that Attitash, Cranmore and Wildcat had received about 3 inches early, and the snow was building.

Nordic Centers, including Bear Notch Ski Touring Center in Bartlett, Bretton Woods, Jackson Ski Touring and Great Glen Trails in Pinkham Notch, were expanding their terrain. Purity Spring and the Mount Washington Valley Ski Touring and Snowshoe Center were closed but planning to open as soon as snow conditions allow.

In Vermont, Killington was reporting about 8 inches at 11 a.m., and no one was reporting getting ice or rain.

The National Weather Service in Gray, Maine, is calling for this storm to be an all-snow event for most of the state and will keep warnings and watches up until about 7 a.m. Friday, when the storm is expected to conclude.